Furnaces
A furnace is an important part of your home, especially in the wintertime. You want to make sure that it is working when the weather begins turning cold. You want to call in a professional at least once a year before you begin using it for winter cold.
There are many things that you can do on your own to make sure that your furnace stays in good working order. These are things that anyone can do without having to call in a professional. There are other things that only a pro can do for you, as well.
When you need your yearly furnace check, you should call in a professional. You should call a heating contractor to do a thorough check to make sure that all is working as it should. This will help to ensure that you will stay safe throughout the winter.
This article will help you learn about some of the maintenance that you can do on your own. It will also help you to learn when to call a professional to inspect and do the maintenance thoroughly.
Information About Furnace Maintenance
- Clean Your Air Ducts, Vents, and Furnace Filters – You can clean your air vents and filters fairly easily. Your filters can be changed out with new ones and your air vents can be vacuumed out. This can be done with a household vacuum.
Your ducts take a little more work, and you should use a shop vac to do the job. You can use a long attachment that will get deep into the ductwork: https://www.angi.com/articles/how-clean-ducts.htm. You can also use a broom or brush to break up the debris that might be in there.
- Leaking Doors and Window – Check your home for potential leaking doors and windows. This is especially true in older homes. You want to make sure that you have all the draft areas covered.
If you have broken windows or doors, this is the time to get them fixed. These are areas where you could lose a lot of air. If you don’t fix these areas, it would be just like throwing your money in the trash.
- Clean Your Heat Exchanger – The heat exchanger is the part of your furnace that heats the air that is then used to generate the heat for your home. You need to clean it at least once a year before you begin to use it. You want to clean off all the dust and debris using a cloth.
To clean it safely, you need to turn off your system – make sure the gas is off, too. You then need to remove the flame sensor, flame igniter, and the burner assembly to get to the burner tubes better. You can use a damp cloth to clean all the parts and then put it together again.
- Check Your Blower Motor and Fan – Your blower motor is another essential part of your furnace. It can have a buildup of dust and debris that should be cleaned. You need to be careful cleaning this part.
You would clean this by removing the fan from the cabinet, using a screwdriver. Watch your fingers and the wires carefully so that you don’t damage them. Use a vacuum to blow the dust and debris away.
- Change the Batteries in the Thermostat and Check the Setting – Make sure that you have fresh batteries for the season. You should also check to see that the setting is on heat and not cool. These two things can save you lots of frustration later.
This is one of the first things that a technician will check is the thermostat to make sure that it is set correctly and working as it should. It can cost you $150 for a service call for the tech to turn it on for you. Make sure that you check this before you call someone out.
- Flame Sensor, Flame Ignitor, and Pilot Light – You want to remove all these parts and blow them off to make sure that you remove any dust or debris. See here to learn more about cleaning these items. You don’t want to touch the flame ignitor with your fingers. You can clean the flame sensor with an emery cloth if you have one available.
Once you have cleaned them, check them to make sure they are working properly. Start your furnace back up and check to see that it has an orange glow. You will also want to make sure that the ignitor sparks when it is turned on.
- Why Does the Furnace Smell? When you turn on your furnace for the first time for the season, it may smell as if there is something burning. This is usually just dust burning from the system and is nothing to worry about. If the smell persists, it might be time to call in a tech.
Make sure that you don’t have paints or other chemicals stored on or near your furnace because this can cause fumes. These fumes can harm the heat exchanger and lead to expensive repairs. It can also cause carbon monoxide poisoning which can be dangerous for your health.
Conclusion
There are many things that you can do on your own when maintaining your furnace. There are simple things that you can do to make sure that it is working properly. You can also call a professional if you don’t feel comfortable doing these things on your own.